When I read the synopsis for Dead Sand, I was worried it might turn into a male version of Murder She Wrote; a writer helps the local police of a small New England town solve a murder. Luckily this was not the case and my reservations were quickly dispelled. We follow Lewis Cole into the seedy underbelly of a vacation town, passing a myriad of well-drawn characters and potential suspects.Although I’m not usually a fan of first person narratives, the story did not suffer from it. That being said, the narrator inundates the reader with street and building directions within the town for the first part of the book. I understand the need to paint a picture for the reader, but there seemed to be a little too much here.Happily that is my only issue with the book. It was an enjoyable read, with a believable plot, well conceived action segments, and a satisfying finish. I will definitely be reading the sequel to this book.